It was in the 1800s that English lace workers settled in Normandy with small bulldogs. (wtfrenchie.com)
In the mid-1800s, these dogs were brought to France by displaced lace workers who emigrated in search of better jobs. (puppy-training-solutions.com)
While theories abound about the exact origin of the French Bulldog, the most prevalent opinion is that around the mid-1800s Normandy lace workers from England took smaller bulldogs with them when they sought work in France. (bulldoghavennw.org)